You and Only You
by Mysteria Pearl
Summary: Miss Satomi and Yamma had made it quite clear that certain members of their teams wern't popular enough. Cute even if you don't care about the particular pairing


Hello to all of my readers. This is (yet another) IGPX fic I wrote (fairly) long ago. This is one of the few that I (somehow) managed to finish! Even if you're not a huge fan of Jesse x River, this is an incredibly cute and fluffy fic that one of my friends said 'It made me feel all fuzzy and nifty!'

I want to love you and only you!- written by Mysteria Pearl

"So… Miss Satomi… why exactly am I here?" Jesse asked as her boss motioned to a leather chair for her to sit in.

"Well, as you know, we have been trying to get more fans, right?" Miss Satomi asked as she sat down at her desk.

"Yes… but what does that that have to do with me?" She asked.

"Popularity!" Miss Satomi almost shouted. Jesse shrunk back,

"Okay…"

"Well…" Miss Satomi said as she cleared her throat and regained her composure,

"Everybody here had their own shtick, if you know what I mean. I'm the founder's granddaughter, Mark's a millionaire, André's a famous pilot in retirement, Igi's a famous mechanic, Takeshi's a superstar and is going out with Liz, Liz is so wound up with bringing back her old orphanage-- or whatever that is-- with modeling, Amy's a genius and Luca has her own brand of cat food. You're really the only one who isn't very popular at the moment. You don't fit in."

"Yes, Miss Satomi."

"You need something that makes you stand out... But what…"

Jesse sweatdropped,

"Isn't it enough that I'm a backup pilot?"

"Yes, but nobody know that. Or cares. . ." Miss Satomi said as she stood up and looked out the window.

"Then why haven't you put me in?" She asked. Miss Satomi didn't answer

"You really didn't… you don't believe in me. You really don't. You didn't believe in River, either. With all due respect, Ma'am, _all_ you care about is your money and your precious pretty-boy Takeshi!" Jesse cried, enraged.

Miss Satomi growled,

"That's enough, Jesse!" She spun around and raised a hand to strike her employee, but Jesse was no longer there, and the door was left flung open.

Pit-pat-pit-pat-pit-pat was the rhythm River ran in as he jogged down the park path.

He slowed as he heard someone weeping nearby,

'Who's that…? This is the private IG1 Park... So… it has to be an employee… unless it's some weird hobo. . . or something. . . ' He followed the sound of sniffling and crying and the occasional wail until he came to a shady spot were there were benches scattered around. He cautiously approached the girl who had her face in her hands and her elbows set on her knees.

"Um… hi." he said awkwardly. Jesse sat up with a start and then recognized River. River realized, in the same moment, that it was his former teammate.

He sat down on the bench next to her, facing her,

"Uh. . . Are you okay…?" He asked. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes,

"I-I…I'm fine…" She furiously tried to wipe all the tears out of her eyes.

River pulled out his hanky and offered it to her as he reached up and gently ran his hand through her hair carefully pulling the tear-soaked tresses out of her face,

"What's wrong?" Jesse sniffed and wiped some of her tears on the purple handkerchief,

"M-Miss Satomi doesn't th-think I'm g-good enough... f-for anything!" she managed to wail between sobs. River smirked,

"What are you talking about? You're like her right hand employee."

"Sh-she says th-that I'm n-not p-popular enough t-…" Jesse broke down into tears.

"Not popular? Are you crazy? Who cares if you're popular?" River asked,

"You're the nicest person on that whole stupid team,"

"B-but everybody has s-something t-that gets them in-into the newspapers… r-right?"

"She gave you that speech too?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah," River said and sighed,

"Yamma just gave me that talk this morning."

"S-so is that w-why y-you're run-ning t-today?" She asked through her tears. She knew that whenever he had something to think about, he would go to the park and run.

"Yeah. . . but now you gotta stop crying. I can't stand it." He said, gently taking the hanky from her and wiping away her tears himself. He gently ran it under her eyes and along her face.

"There," He said, leaning back,

"Much better. Now, back to what we were saying before. You have to be the sweetest person I've ever met,"

Jesse bit her lip as she looked down. She was trying as hard as she could not to burst into tears again.

"Don't cry. . ." He said, scooting closer and gently taking her face in his hands, wiping away the new tears that spilled out of her eyes. When he saw that nothing was working, he did something that was pretty uncharacteristic of him. He pulled her into a warm hug against his chest.

'What the heck am I doing!? What am I thinking!? Why did I just do that!? Am. . . Am I falling for her or something!?'

For a moment, Jesse could have sworn that her heart had stopped. She closed her eyes, taking shaky breaths as River continued to run his hand through her hair and hold her tight. Before she knew it, the only things she could think about was how wonderful it felt to be gently held against his chest, how good his cologne smelled, how soft his hair must feel and such.

"Are you alright now?" He asked. She hadn't even realized it, but she had stopped crying altogether.

"Yes…" She said as she pulled back, longing to hug him again; to feel herself in his strong embrace.

"I have something to ask you…" He said slowly. Jesse looked up at his face. All at once, he seemed to be really, seriously, REALLY red.

"Yeah?"

"Before I ask you though, promise, no crying or anything!" Jesse nodded

"Okay… I want to know... Um... Will you g-go out with me…?" He looked down at his knees. Jesse could only sit there in shock

'ME!? I-I'm nothing special…I thought he was always so composed... But now… he just looks adorable! But… me? ME?' Jesse thought as her pupils dilated more then she though humanly possible.

River took the long pause as rejection,

"Oh… I'm sorry… I just…" Jesse interrupted him as she began to sob. He looked up,

"W-Why are you crying?! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked!" He was about to get up when Jesse hugged him,

"I-I'm not sad! I… I'm j-just so happy!" River grew even redder.

"I'd love to go out with you!" Jesse said happily as she let go of the red-as-a-fire-hydrant River. He was stunned,

"Really?" Jesse giggled,

"Yeah!"

"G-Great! Uh. . . I'll pick you up. . . Uh. . . When are you free?" Jesse paused,

"No day after today really. . . It's the beginning of the workload tomorrow."

"Okay… then, how about tonight?" River asked,

"But--but if that's too soon... I could always wait until next week or something…"

Jesse smiled,

"Tonight's fine!"

River smiled,

"Great! What time should I pick you up…?"

"How about six?"

"Uh… okay… I'll pick you up at six then... In front of the Satomi Main Office, right?" Jesse nodded.

"Great!" he stood up, completely pumped,

"Well… see you tonight, then!" Jesse smiled up at him. He really was sweet in an awkward kind of way,

"Okay! Bye Rivvie!" River blushed as he jogged away, being completely watched by Jesse.

"Wow…" was all she could say.

Jesse had sprinted back to her little condo / dorm thingy to find something to wear,

"I don't want to overdress... But I don't want to be underdressed…" She mumbled to herself as she dug through her closet. Jesse pulled out dress after dress, held it up in front of the mirror, made a face at each one, and threw it behind her. It went on this way for quite awhile until almost her entire closet was empty and her clothes lay in piles on the floor, bed, small couch and whatever else that was within throwing distance. Finally, she pulled out a long, beautiful blue dress from the back of her closet that had a gauzy over-layer and was the perfect length. She tried to place where she had gotten it from but then figured it was something Miss Satomi had given her awhile back. She had just thrown it on and smiled in satisfaction when there was a knock at her door.

"Who is it?" Jesse called as she tried to make her way through the mountains of clothes to the entrance door.

"It's me," Came a muffled feminine voice. She could tell that it was Miss Satomi. She opened the door and there her boss standing with her arms crossed and an eyebrow cocked.

"Why are you all dressed up?" She asked, smiling almost cockily.

Jesse pinkened,

"I… erm… have somewhere to go tonight…" Miss Satomi's eyebrows raised even more,

"Like a DATE!?" she asked, grinning. Jesse felt like her head was going to explode as she nodded painfully

"That's great! You have to tell me all about it when you get back!" Jesse raised an eyebrow,

"So… I can go, right?" Miss Satomi nodded,

"Of course!!"

"YAMMA! I NEED A LIMO!!!" Yamma looked up from his newspaper and grinned,

"Why? You going on a date or something?"

"Maybe…"

"Dates aren't a 'maybe.' It's a simple 'yes' or 'no' question, kid."

"Yes. I am. Can I please use a limo!?" River asked through gritted teeth.

"With who?" Yamma asked as he casually turned a page

"Miss Jesse Martin. . ." River mumbled forcedly

"The little red haired girl? Didn't see that coming. Isn't she a little young for you? Ain't that called 'robbing the cradle' or something?"

"No," River said.

"But you're--"

"I'm going on nineteen,"

"Yeah… but what is she? Like eleven. . . Twelve. . . Thirteen at the most?" 

"Seventeen. Going on eighteen," River said stiffly, almost annoyed at the boss pilot's naivety.

"Ah… only one year apart, eh?" River nodded,

"So… where are you going?"

River ran a hand through his hair,

"I… I don't know,"

"I'll book something for you, kid. Don't worry. I'll also get you a limo. What time do you need to be outta here?"

"I'm picking her up at six,"

"You should be out of here by quarter t' six, then. Don't worry about it, kid. I'll handle everything," River grinned,

"Thanks, Yamma,"

"Now, kid, all you've gotta do is worry about your appearance. Go for blue,"

"Why?"

"You got yourself one green-blue eye don't you?"

"Yeah…"

"Exactly my point,"

Miss Satomi ran a comb through Jesse's hair,

"So, Jesse… Who is it!?"

Jesse smiled,

"Somebody . . ."

"WHO!?" Miss Satomi asked excitedly as she yanked the brush forcefully through Jesse's red locks

Jesse grinned,

"I'll tell you later."

"C'mon! I'll give you a raise if you tell me!!!" Jesse giggled but didn't reply,

"At LEAST tell me if he's a racer!!" Miss Satomi pried as she ran some gel through her metaphorical sister's hair.

Jesse giggled,

"Yep! And an extremely handsome one at that!!" Miss Satomi laughed,

"Seems like you found yourself the perfect man!"

5:45 p.m

River hopped down the stairs trying to hold up a big box, button his jacket, comb his hair and tie his shoe at the same time.

"Kid, slow down. Chill, dude" Yamma said as River made it to the door

"But I'll be late!"

"No you won't. Now then, you have reservations at _Le Kelleria_. Your reservations are under "Marque" and you have the black limousine this time. You also have a driver," Yamma said as he opened the door for the younger player. As River walked out, Yamma grunted,

"Knock 'em dead, kid,"

Jesse stood out front. Her hands were shaking; she didn't know why. She glanced at her watch,

5:55

"He's not late, yet," Jesse said, smoothing out her dress. When she looked up, she found a long, sleek, black limo driving up the way.

Jesse was caught breathless as a very debonair looking River stepped gracefully out of the limousine, holding a rather large package under his arm. When he got to the doorstep, he offered his arm to his date and she gladly accepted,

"I'm sorry… I was almost late." He led her down the stairs and then handed her the package.

"You didn't need to get me anything, River." River smiled and leaned close to her ear,

"I know. But I wanted to." He whispered. Jesse grinned, carefully opened it, and pulled out a giant stuffed frog.

"Oh it's adorable!" She squealed as she hugged it. River smiled,

"I'm glad you like it." He helped her into the limo and slid in beside her. The car drove back down the driveway and around the corner.

Miss Satomi poked her head out the door,

"River Marque. . ." She mumbled angrily,

"If she wants to defy me, then fine. But I have to let the media know about this."

Jesse's heart thumped in her chest. She was in a _limo_, heading to her _date_ with the guy she adored more than _anything. _

There was a peaceful silence as they drove on. . . Not that silence is ever completely comfortable.

River lifted his arm and gently eased it around Jesse's shoulder. Jesse, for one, could hardly breathe because she was so happy. She slowly leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling his strong muscles tense at contact, and closed her eyes. She hugged the frog tight and took a shaky breath, once again breathing in the sweet scent of River's cologne.

"Sir," a voice said over the intercom,

"We're here, Sir." Jesse opened her eyes and sat up and River slid his arm out from around her shoulders. The driver opened the door and River got out and helped Jesse out. She still held the stuffed frog tight in her embrace as River offered her his arm. She took it lightly and inched as close to him as she could as he led her down the red carpet towards _Le Kelleria_.

Once they had found their seats, the nervousness began to appear. Jesse sat the stuffed frog down on the bench next to her as she and River sat close together.

_River's thoughts:_

'Wow. . . she looks. . . Wow. . . she's so. . . Gorgeous!' His eyes scanned her from top to bottom and back up. Her cheeks wore a blush and her lips were glossy. Her hair was smooth and curly and a bit of mascara was on her eyelashes. Her dress was modest and cute and her strappy sandals were golden in color. He smiled,

'Man. . . she's just so. . . cute! And that dress. . . Whoa. . .'

River gazed at her dreamily. Jesse saw his dazed stare,

"Are you okay?" she asked. He snapped out of it,

"Oh. . . yeah I was just thinking. . ."

Jesse cocked her head,

"About what?"

"About how absolutely gorgeous you look," River finished; his face completely flushed. Jesse blushed.

_Jesse's thoughts_:

'Did he just-- He just complemented me! ME! And his eyes--er. . . eye! Oh! And he's so handsome! Her stare slid up and down his body, at his blue dress shirt that hugged his chest just enough to show off his muscles. He had taken his suit jacket off and put it on the back of the chair, as he had also taken her sweater and laid it over the back of her chair,

"I like the colour blue on you. . . It really brings out your blue. . . Um. . . Eye," She said quietly. As River sat down he grinned,

"I don't look nearly good enough to be out with you,"

'And he's so sweet!'

"Jesse?"

'He's perfect. . .'

"Jesse?"

'Absolutely perfect. . .'

"Jesse?"

'And I. . . I love him. . .'

"Jesse?" She felt a large, warm, soft hand on her cheek and 'awoke' out of her daydreams. She found River looking rather concernedly at her,

"Oh! I'm sorry! What?"

"The waiter wants to know what you want to eat."

She looked down at the menu, not knowing what was too expensive

"We'll just share your largest fillet mignon" River said, handing him the menu. Jesse handed him hers too.

"I'm sorry…" She said to River as the waiter walked away.

River raised a hand to her face, gently caressing her cheek with his fore finger. He gazed into her eyes, both of the two getting a tingling sensation. Their faces were only about three inches apart. Jesse could feel her heart flutter.

They leaned in closer,

"Sir, your food is ready." The two looked up and found all their food waiting on the table in front of them. The waiter bowed,

"If you need anything else, Sir, please do call." River nodded, though, still a little annoyed at the waiter's lousy timing.

Jesse gaped at all the food. There were spiced potatoes, a tender looking fillet, steamed vegetables, warm bread, soups and all!

River picked up the knife and cut off a small corner of the fillet mignon.

"Would you like the first bite?" He asked. She nodded, but before she could reach for her fork, he carefully fed it to her. He sat back, watching her as she swallowed it.

"Good?" He asked. Jesse smiled,

"Delicious! It's amazing!" River smiled at her cute reaction.

"That's a relief." River said as he ran his hand through Jesse's hair, sending shivers up and down her spine.

Dinner went on peacefully as they secretly admired each other

'Everything. . .' Jesse thought as she stared at River

'Absolutely _everything_ about him is more wonderful than I could have ever imagined! He's so handsome, and kind; so sweet! And. . . I love him! I love him!'

Meanwhile, River was thinking the same thing as he glanced at her,

'She's adorable, absolutely gorgeous. And her lips-- they look like juicy watermelon… she's so kind… and caring… and everything about her… I adore. I love her so much! Wait-- when did this happen? When did I fall head over heels for her?' But as he glanced at her again, he knew his answer,

'It doesn't matter, really. All I know is… I'm in love with her.'

"Jesse?" "River?" They asked at the same time

"Yes? No, you first. I insist! I have something to tell you…" The grinned as they said the exact same thing simultaneously.

Jesse bit her lip,

"River this may seem sudden… but I've never felt this way before in my entire life… I… I think… I think I'm in love…" River looked her in the eyes,

"With who?" He asked, hoping more than anything it was he.

"With… you…" She said as she ended in a whisper as she stared down at her knees, tears pricking at her eyes.

'Did I really just say that!? I-- I probably just ruined everything-- oh! Now, he's never going to like me back-- This whole thing was probably out of sympathy, too! Oh! What have I done!?'

River stared wide-eyed at her

'Say WHAT?! Sh-she loves me!? ME!? I never thought-- I mean-- I was just about to say the same thing! Hold up!'

Jesse's tears dripped down onto her clasped hands, making a pitter-patter sound as they hit her peachy skin. She was about to stand and leave when a soft hand caught her wrist. She looked up breathlessly into the blonde's eye. River took her face in his hand as he leaned closer. River's eyebrows knit in worry,

"Don't cry… oh please don't cry… You don't know how much I care for you… I've never felt this way before, either. I love you more than anything. . ." He mumbled as he tucked a piece of Jesse's longish red hair behind her ear. He leaned in close to her. Jesse's eyes grew wide as he sighed onto her lips,

'Is he-- oh my--!' Her eyes closed automatically as his face approached hers. Two more tears rolled down her face as River gently placed is lips on hers. She immediately felt her insides melt and her heart overflow with joy. Both felt an instant shockwave as River firmly pressed his lips against hers and ran a hand through her hair.

As he pulled back, River tensed, praying that Jesse was okay with what he had just done.

I-I just KISSED her! W-what if she didn't like it! What if she was only joking--? And… and why was she crying?!

Jesse stared at him with wide-eyes, a deep blush, a dazed look, and slightly swelled lips slightly open,

"I. . . y-you just. . ."

"I'm sorry." He said, looking away,

"I made you cry… and then I…" he trailed off as he felt a warm sensation on his chest and around his waist. He looked down and found Jesse hugging him tightly. She was in tears as she said,

"I. . . I'm so happy! I. . . I thought for sure that you were just taking me out because you just... had pity for me…"

"No, not at all." River said,

"I love you…" Right as he was about to kiss her again, though,

"Sir, your bill." River looked at the bill and handed the waiter the appropriate amount of money as he stood up and put on his jacket. He was seriously going to call the manager about the annoying waiters. He offered Jesse a hand, helped her up, and helped her on with her sweater. Jesse grabbed the stuffed frog as River led her out front. Once they were outside, River called their driver.

There was a musty scent in the air and it began to rain. Lucky for them, though, that the red carpet way was covered,

"This was awesome!!" Jesse hesitantly stood on her toes and pecked him on the cheek, her lips lingering there for more than a few seconds. She could feel her heart race almost as fast as he felt his race. Jesse sat the stuffed frog down by her feet and looked up at him. River felt all the blood rushing to his face as, in an act of impulse, he swept Jesse up into his arms and kissed her again, this time, though, it was a more heated kiss. River moved one of his arms so that one arm was around the back of her neck and the other was tightly around her waist, pulling her closer while her hands were on his chest, clutching his blue shirt and jacket. She gasped into the sudden kiss and felt her knees go weak as he applied more pressure with his soft lips to hers.

'What's that shining piece of metal… under his bangs…?'

A bright flash interrupted their quiet (if you could call it that) moment. The teens pulled apart, completely red. River and Jesse looked up and were blinded by constant flashing. A bunch of microphones were shoved in their face as more then about three dozen reporters began shouting questions at them. River threw himself in front of Jesse, holding his strong arms out and spreading his long legs adorned in blue suit pants as to block Jesse from the cameras. Jesse picked up the toy frog and grabbed the back of River's jacket.

"--long have you two been dating!?"

"Is this permanent--?"

"When did you two meet--?"

"What has he given--"

"Do you have any more plans--?"

Jesse scooped up the stuffed frog and River protectively wrapped his arms around her as he saw the limo pull into the pick up. Together, along with being aided by the manager of the restaurant, shuffled through the forming crowd. River helped Jesse inside and then also ducked in as the limousine hurriedly drove away.

River sighed as he ran his hand through his hair,

"I'm really sorry… I had no idea the media was there…" Jesse giggled,

"That's okay! I almost liked it! The rest of the team's always been in the spotlight... but…" her voice trailed off as she giggled again,

"You are so sweet!" She said, hugging him

"What? Why?" River asked. He turned bright red.

"They way you stood in front of me to try and stop them from getting more pictures! It was so sweet!" River blushed,

"Just don't tell anybody I'm _that_ sweet, okay?"

"Yes Sir!" Jesse said playfully as she gave him a salute. River laughed.

"Mr. Marque, is there anywhere else you desire to go?" the driver asked over the intercom.

"Has it stopped raining?"

"Yes, Sir. Would you like to go else ware? And may I suggest somewhere outside? It's a lovely, rather warm night,"

"Yeah. Take us to the IG1 Park and then pick me up after I've dropped Jesse off at the Satomi headquarters, okay?"

"Yes, Sir,"

In a few minutes, they had reached the park.

"Sir, we've reached the IG1 Park." The driver said as he opened the door for them. River helped Jesse (and her frog) out into the moonlit park.

The air was just a bit crisp and very calm in the park and the moon shone silver blue on everything around them. As the car drove away, River wrapped his arm around her

"Rivvie…?" Jesse asked slowly.

"Yeah?" He asked as they walked down the path.

"Before… um… earlier today… I saw something… metal… under your bangs… and… I'm kind of… curious…"

River stopped walking and turned towards the girl who was clutching the large, stuffed frog,

"Oh… is that all?" Jesse nodded shyly.

"Okay," he said, bringing his face close to hers, whispering,

"Go ahead and see for yourself." Jesse cautiously lifted her hand and slowly reached up to his calm, handsome face. Ever so slowly, she slipped her hand under his bangs and gently ran her hand through his hair, carefully slipping it away from his face. Jesse pulled his face closer in order to better see. There was a long scar reaching from above his eyebrow down his face to his chin; right over his eye.

River blinked in the moonlight and that was when Jesse clearly saw that his right eye was mechanical; totally robotic. The gray metal eye had a little blue blinking light in the center as it shifted around.

River backed up as Jesse took in a sharp breath,

"Sorry… I guess I should be used to that reaction."

"Are you alright!?" Jesse asked. River grinned. She was always worried about others.

"What are you talking about?"

"Does it hurt!?" Jesse asked, placing her hand on his face and gently stroking his cheek. River laughed,

"No; it's fine. It's been like that for a long time." River said, slowly wrapping his arm around her tiny waist as they started back up the path.

"How did it happen…?"

River paused,

"It was an accident… that cut my face open… My eye was too severed to fix, so they implanted this one. I can see through it and all… it even has x-ray and night vision."

"Really?" Jesse asked as they continued down the path

River led her up the stairs of the Satomi main office.

"This was great!!!" Jesse said happily as she clung to the stuffed frog.

"Yeah…" River said, blushing completely.

Just as Jesse was about to go Inside, River grabbed her arm,

"Wait. . . Uh. . .How do you feel about... Um… if I pick you up for breakfast tomorrow?"

Jesse practically glomped him,

"That'd be great!" River glanced at his watch,

"It's only eleven... So... I'll pick you up at... Eight…?"

"Sure!" Jesse said as she reached up and quickly pecked him on the cheek; leaving him as bright as a neon sign on Broadway. Right before her lips left his cheek, though, there was a single bright flash of light. The two teenagers gave a start as they turned and found Miss Satomi grinning smugly at them.

"Miss Satomi!" Jesse cried as she tried to snatch the camera from her boss.

"I am so proud of you!! Finally--"

River cut her off,

"I'll be picking Jesse up in the morning; since it is Saturday tomorrow," He bowed to Miss Satomi,

"That will be all." Then he took Jesse's hand and kissed it,

"See you later." Jesse watched him as he quickly scampered down the way and to the limo.

Jesse ran up to her bedroom, being followed and pestered by Miss Satomi.

"Tell me what it was LIIIIIKE!!!" Miss Satomi pried.

"I'll tell you later!" Jesse said as she ran into her dorm

Miss Satomi scratched her head as she headed next door to her dorm,

"Well, she must've had a fun time."

Jesse rolled over in her bed. She was wearing her frog pajamas and still hugging the frog he had given her. She breathed deeply and smelled the fragrant scent of… well, River. As she sniffed it, she smelled his cologne and she sighed.

She looked at her clock

11:55 p.m.

She knew she wouldn't get to sleep so she sat up, hearing noise coming from next door. She stood up in the pitch-blackness and groped her way to the door, being sure to take along the stuffed frog. Making her way to Miss Satomi's door, she knocked softly.

"Come in, come in!" Jesse made her way in and found Miss Satomi lying upside down on her bed, in pajamas eating ice cream and watching TV.

"What's going on--"

"No time to explain! Grab the ice cream, a bowl and a spoon and follow me!!"

Jesse did what she was told and was pulled downstairs to the big screen TV room,

"It's about to start!!" Miss Satomi said as she scooped Jesse a huge bowl of ice cream.

"What is--" Miss Satomi flipped the TV onto a news channel

"_Welcome to the midnight news with me, Donny Jorge…"_

"_And me, Marilyn Kaboo."_

"_Tonight's special broadcast is taking the IG1 world by surprise!"_

"_Yessiree, Donny! Tonight, we're investigating a newly aroused romance between… what's this!?"_

"_Yes, that's right, Marilyn! A Satomi and a Sledge Mamma!!"_

"_Ooh, Ooh! Which ones? Which ones!?"_

"_Well, Marilyn, let's go to our specialist! Over to you, Mike!"_

"_Thank you, Donny! Tonight, we got special information from an inside source about two lovebirds! River Marque, now from Team Sledge Mamma and-- You'll never believe this!! Little innocent JESSE MARTIN!!!"_

"_Oh my gosh, Mike! No way!" _

"_Yes, Marilyn! It's true!"_

_Pictures began flashing across the screen; pictures that even Jesse didn't know were taken._

"Oh my gosh!" Jesse said as a few pictures came up. They were older pictures she remembered. One was from the day when Miss Satomi had yelled at River again so fiercely. She had found him in the hall, kneeling with his head on a bench.

**Flashback Jesse's POV:**

**I had just walked out of the lounge and found him sprawled out there… I had just gone over to him and sat down next to him and put my hand on his head. He had sat up and... And he let me hold him... Hold him close until he felt better… How the heck could they possibly have that picture!?**

"_That's not all, Mike. We also got information from a reliable source that they went on a DATE tonight!!"_

"_Really, Marilyn? Well, then, let's role the tape"_

_Pictures of their date began rolling. First, where River picked Jesse up, then when they got out of the limo, when they were at their seats and a VERY large picture of their kiss. _

Jesse's heart almost burst,

"H-how could they!?"

_Then they flashed pictures of afterwards, out front in the halting rain. _

"How did they get all those!?" Jesse asked, squeezing the stuffed frog to her chest.

"I have no idea!" Miss Satomi said, grinning

Jesse's eyes fluttered as a cold metal feeling poked her. Again she was poked and she opened her eyes, finding a spoon and her whole team staring down at her. Takeshi had a churro hanging out of his mouth. Amy had Luca sitting on her head, Miss Satomi was fully dressed and Liz was trying to suppress a laugh.

Not to mention the cockeyed André and Mark

Jesse sat up, totally flustered. She glanced at Miss Satomi,

"You let me fall asleep on the COUCH!?" Miss Satomi grinned,

"When you saw that last picture, you practically passed out."

"Ooh, what's this?" Liz asked, pointing to the stuffed frog.

"It smells like River Marque." Amy said. They all turned towards her, forgetting for a moment that her link to Luca enhanced her senses of smell and sight.

Liz grabbed the stuffed frog and sniffed it,

"Hey! Yeah! You're right!" She tossed it Amy, getting lots of persistence from Jesse.

Amy tossed it to Andre, who pretended no to care, but took a sniff anyway. Then he handed it to Mark with a grunt, who handed it to Miss Satomi who grinned while she threw it To Takeshi. Takeshi, almost getting tears from Jesse, handed it back to her.

"You're right, Amy." Takeshi said, ruffling his younger teammate's hair.

Jesse sniffed,

"Why are you guys so mean?!"

"We're not," Miss Satomi said,

"We're proud that you are so entwined with our _enemy_!" She almost sneered. Jesse bit her lips as tears began rolling down her face.

"Hey," The 'crowd' turned as River walked through the door. He walked over to the round couch. Seeing Jesse in tears, he switched his face into glare mode towards his former teammates,

"How dare you make her cry." He said in more of a commanding tone rather than in a questioning tone. He glared down at them as he scooped Jesse up into his arms, bride style, and carried her out of the room.

"Dude, how did he even get in here?"

"Dude, I don't know,"

River sat Jesse down on one of the benches out in the hallway,

"Don't cry." He said in a rather low voice as he took out a new hanky and wiped her tears away

"Now, what's wrong?" Jesse took a shaky breath,

"It's always-s the s-same! I try and t-try, and f-finally wh-when something g-good happens t-to me…" She trailed of as her voice gave out.

River sat back on his haunches,

"Lemme guess, they think this is all some shtick to get you into the spotlight, right?" Jesse nodded,

"I got the same speech this morning, and let me tell you, it was awful. And now... All I can think about is that… I want to prove them wrong. I want to prove that I'm above going out just for popularity. Yeah, it's nice and all to be a big celebrity, but every little thing I do doesn't need to be on TV like Takeshi or Cunningham." He then allowed Jesse to cling to him and consoled her as she cried hard onto his chest. After she finished her crying, River got back up and scuffed his boot toe on the floor,

"But. . . I think you should dump me," The sudden change in what he was saying caused the only expression on Jesse's face to turn to that of shock,

". . . What. . . ?"

"Team Satomi just doesn't like me. . . They never have and I guess they never will. . . And. . . And they're like your family. You love your job and all of them. . . So. . . It would be. . ." He bit his lip for a moment to stop tears from coming to his eyes and mentally commanded his lips and hands to stop quavering as he watched the timid, little, trembling redhead come to the verge of tears,

"Jesse, I. . . well. . . it would be best for you to break up with me. . . I. . . I just don't want you to be miserable because of me. . . Just say the word and you'll never have to see me again. . ." He took a deep breath and continued,

"But. . . if you choose to dump me. . . I'll wait forever for you! I'll never fall in love ever again," he gave her an almost pleading look,

"I want to love only you." he finished

Tears slid down Jesse's face as River began to walk away,

"Me too. . ." River stopped in his tracks

"What?" River asked, looking over his shoulder.

"I'll only ever love you. . ." Jesse whispered before she completely gave into tears,

"And. . . and no one else. . ." River smiled sadly,

"Well. . . I don't want you to end up being sad with your decision. . . So if you need to think about it. . . We can still go out to breakfast if you want. . ."

"Okay. . ." Jesse said quietly as she wiped away the rest of her tears.

"No more crying. . ." River whispered as he gently hoisted her up into his arms and carried her up to her bedroom

"I'll let the media know right away!" Miss Satomi whispered to the rest of the gang from their spot behind the door. Liz caught Miss Satomi by the shoulders,

"Hold on," The said as they shoved her into a seat.

"You've gotta lay off a little but, Michiru." Andre said as he took a seat.

"Yeah," Amy said,

"Why do you keep trying to break them up?" Miss Satomi scoffed,

"Why wouldn't I? I just. . . I just don't like River. And I never will," she stated haughtily,

"Besides--"

"Besides, nothing, Miss Satomi," Takeshi said,

"You're playing favourites. You were fine with me when I was still going out with Fantine,"

"Yeah!" Mark said,

"Jesse obviously sees something that you don't in River. And he's been quite responsible lately. From my perspective, you seriously need to re-think the way you're acting. It's pretty childish. So. . .why don't you trust or like River?" Miss Satomi was silent for a moment,

"I guess. . . Because he didn't do things _my_ way. . . I guess. . . Because I couldn't control what he did. . ." She trailed off,

"He's too strong a person. . . I knew he could win. . . But. . . I don't know. . . He just didn't respect. . ."

"He didn't respect the fact that everything had to be your way?" Andre said, finishing her sentence. Miss Satomi slumped down in her chair,

"And. . ."

"And that your way was to stick with people who do what you want? The people who you can control; who you can make do things your way," Takeshi finished. Michiru sighed,

"Yeah. . .

"Miss Satomi, River's one of my good friends now," Takeshi said,

"And that guy's really smart,"

"I can vouch for that one; in his testing, he has even more knowledge in robotics than Amy or that Max girl from White Snow," Andre said.

"In fact. . ." Mark said,

"I checked his schooling and piloting record and. . . With all due respect, Miss Satomi, that boy is more qualified for your job than you are," Miss Satomi sat straight up,

"WHAT!?"

"He's brilliant," Andre said.

"I never would have guessed," Amy said as Luca meowed.

"I'll go wait downstairs for you," River said as he set Jesse down at her door. Jesse smiled sadly as she said okay and closed her door behind her.

River slowly walked down the stairs, almost dizzy as he wondered if Jesse was going to dump him or not.

_Jest say the word and you'll never have to see me again_

River thought about his words and if he could actually do it.

If she says she doesn't want see me again. . . It would be best for her never to hear from me. . . And she won't. . . that is. . . If she dumps me. . . I'll never bother her again. . . But. . . I want her to tell me she doesn't care about the others. . . With all my heart I want her to love me. . ."

"Hi. This is Michiru Satomi from Team Satomi. . . Yes. . . About the Marque and Martin thing. . . Yes. . . River told Jesse that it may be better for her to dump him and she's going to give him her answer at _Dean's Cafe_ this morning. . . Yes, the one on main street. . . Yes. . . Okay. . . Goodbye"

River stood as Jesse came down the stairs in a pink sundress with white, pink and yellow flowers. Without a word, he gently took her by the hand and led her outside where a "inconspicuous" cream-coloured car was waiting. He helped her into the back and took a seat next to her, not getting to close in case she, in fact, was going to dump him and didn't want him too near to her. He knew that such a thing would make her cry easily, so instead, he just held her hand and gently caressed his thumb over her pale white skin. When they reached the breakfast restaurant, he helped her out and they got a booth in the back. Without much conversation they ordered; River ordered eggs and bacon and Jesse got some pancakes.

"River. . ." Jesse began shakily. River snapped his attention to the fragile girl,

"I've made my decision. . ." River didn't know if it was just his imagination but the whole restaurant seemed to become eerily silent as his heart began to beat faster and faster,

"River. . . I. . . I don't. . . I don't care what Team Satomi says. . . And I've realized. . . You're more important to me than all of them combined. . . and. . . I'll even leave the team if they don't like it. . . Because I love you so much." She said as her tears go the best of her. River just sat there, completely stunned for a moment before he pulled her to his chest, he was even shaking as he whispered,

"I love you. . . I love you. . . I love you so much. . ."

As he let her go, he rose from the table and then got down on one knee on the ground in front of her. The entire world seemed to be silenced as he pulled a small black box out of his pocket,

"Miss Martin," He began in his deep, melodious voice,

"I have been waiting for so, so very long, to hear you say that. I never dreamed that you would actually love me. I'm so in awe." He paused to wipe a tear out of his eye,

"I. . . I'm just head over heels for you. . . And I've realized that. . . I never want to leave your side. . . I'm so in love with you. . . So. . . With all these people in this restaurant as my witnesses, Jesse. . . I want you to be my wife. . . Will you become Mrs. Marque. . .**Will you marry me**?" He asked, looking up at her with a big, tearful, turquoise eye and a silver mechanical one pleadingly as her took her shaking hand. Jesse's eyes grew wide before she burst into tears and threw her arms around River, knocking him on his behind,

"Yes! Oh Yes! I'll marry you!" She cried as she clung to him

River carefully took her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. Surprising as it was, the restaurant began flashing around them and soon they realized that the entire group of people were undercover reporters, all, of course sent by Miss Satomi.

But, more surprising than that was the fact that. . . Neither River or Jesse seemed to mind. River grinned,

"I'm gettin' married!" He cried triumphantly as he swept his giggling fiancé up, bride style in his arms.

And you know what else? They never did get that breakfast.

0o 0o 0o 0o 0o 0o 0o 0o 0o 0o 0o 0o

Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Yes, I know it was corny. Yes, yes. But, I just love writing about River and Jesse so. . . I'm happy.

Please review, but I'd prefer no flamings. Thanks again for reading!

Mysteria Pearl


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